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New Beginnings, Team 23 Assembles
It was a foggy morning in the Land of Water, though the sun was just barely peeking through. It had rained the night before, leaving the land soaked and a bit icy in the early hours of the morning. Dotting the islands of the land of water was a village here and there, some great, some small. The people were a hardy folk, simple and strong. Unlike its past, the Land seemed peaceful this chilly morning. On one island stood a village larger than most, yet still smaller than one. It was the Village Hidden in the Mist, or as some called it the Bloody Mist. It was a village whose past, present, and future were bathed in blood. But today, today seemed to be different, as the mist seemed to not hold the grudge of the past, but a hope for the future. The world had seemed to wash its sins away for at least this one morning. It was a great day for new beginnings, but where would the beginning lead? First Impressions Gatou Akadou, newly minted genin and resident wild animal, was up early this misty morning. While he normally was up in the mornings, it was rare for him to be up shortly after the crack of dawn. It was especially rare for him to be in the village itself this early in the morning, as he rarely spent any time at the house he had never truly called a home. To him, his home was where the animals roamed, and that forest was where he spent most of his time he was not in the academy. He ran as a wolf, hunted as a bear, and feasted as a tiger. But right now, he was a hawk, flying through the realm of eagles above the village. He had spent the night in that house, owned by his parents but barely lived in. He had showered twice already, making sure to clean especially well behind his ears. He was not normally surrounded by humans, but today was a special day. He had graduated from the academy, and was now on his way to meet his new pack, his new team. He even had forgone his usual route through the city, in favor of a more direct route. He wanted to make sure he was on time, and what better way to be on time than to be a half hour early. This sort of behavior was new to Gatou, he had never fit in that much, and he knew it. He didn't care though, this was his chance for things to be a bit different, the young man hoped. Seeing his objective, the balcony of the Academy building's second floor, Gatou angled in for a landing. As he hit the ground, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, revealing a teen of a moderate height and weight, with heavily tanned skin for one of the mist. However he held this form for naught but a moment before transforming again, this time into a common gray wolf, before waiting for his new team, and life, to arrive... Yōkōtama Hōzuki watched as the first of her genin began to arrive. She analyzed the scene, noticing the first to arrive was rather skilled in changing his form. Interesting, she mused from her hiding place, in a tree with a perfect view of the academy windows. She stayed still in the tree, hidden by some leaves and the waning mist of the dawn. She awaited the arrival of the two other members of Team Yoko, who she hoped would be interesting to watch as well. Next to arrive was Nikari, a new genin as well, and one eager to prove his skill and be promoted. Stepping onto the second floor of the Academy, Nikari found himself a bit nervous, wondering what he should expect from his new teammates. Though he had been thoroughly spoiled by his fellow clansmen and doted on by his aunts and uncles, Nikari knew all too well that this was not a time for laziness. Though he believed he could become something great, he realized that if he was to reach the pillar and goals he set for himself, he would have to put in the time. "There is no such thing as handouts," his mother always told him. Taking a deep breath, he activated his sensing ability, setting it up so that he could detect the presence of chakra and hopefully his teammates. Nikari, turned the corner, focusing in on the chakra he detected, getting closer and closer until he found himself face to face with a wolf. "Hmph," was all he could think of at the moment before stepping back. Rokun walked with an air of calm as she arrived to the briefing with her comrades and mentor, short hair tucked back, cleaned and trimmed to her desire. Her temple like garment adorning her body, hiding an array of weaponry. Three senbon around her neck in the form of a small necklace, smaller in size in relation to the rest of her sets. Moving in a slow stride, silent, devoid of any emotion upon her lips, she walked towards the group and gave them a nod. One to Nikari, one to her mentor and one... Rokun's eyes beset on the wolf and her already devoid features fell flat. "Funny..." simply speaking, ready to have this team under way and operational. Gatou recognized one of his two team mates. The guy he had never met before, he was probably in a different class in the same year as him, but Gatou was unsure of his identity. He smelled kind of watery though, almost as though he was still in the shower. He smelled like... a Hozuki. Yes, a Hozuki. There were quite a few of those around the academy, so he knew their scent pretty well. His reaction upon seeing a wolf was also kind of funny. It was almost like he was expecting someone else, probably a human. Gatou just started panting as the guy looked around in confusion before settling down off towards the side of him. The next person, a girl, he knew a bit better. Her named started with an R if her remembered right. R... R... Roger... no, that is a guy's name... Regina.. no... Maybe Roku???? no... also a guy's name... Wait... that sounds about right. Rokun? that's it. Gatou thought as he wagged his tail at the newcomer. She was always towards the front of the class, sitting and doodling in her notebook. He was far enough away that he never could quite see what she was drawing, but her seatmates made an effort not to see what she was drawing, so he probably didn't want to. Maybe she drew ero-comics or something. She didn't smell like she drew those though, or the bloody smell she did have was just covering that scent up. She always smelled like blood. Her parents were probably butchers or something. However, unlike the other guy who looked like he expected someone else, she didn't look like she expected anything. She didn't even really have an expression. She just mumbled a word in a flat voice with a blank expression. In fact, her body language didn't reveal anything about her at all besides the general shape of her body. She had a nice figure, Gatou had to say, though it was covered up by her unusual style of dress. He merely cocked his head at her as she also moved past him. Now to wait for our sensei, whenever he or she is going to show up, Gatou thought as a new smell wafted in through the window. It smelled like another hozuki, but this smell was slightly different. It almost had a smokey smell to it, like the Hozuki was on fire or something. How does water burn? Gatou wondered as he waited for the last member of Team 23 to arrive. After being confronted by the surprise wolf, Nikari decided to settle in a nearby corner of the room. "To think I would be confronted by a wolf...." Nikari thought before leaning his back against the wall. He covered his mouth as he yawned widely, wondering who the "wolf" was. "Then again, there was mention of a shape-shifter of some sort," Nikari pondered while trying to remember back to his academy classes. He was deep in thought as the third member of the team arrived; however it was a girl instead of another animal. Breaking out of thought, Nikari focused on the newcomer, subconsciously unlocking his sensing abilities. From what he felt in her chakra, she was not one to mess with, particularly in the way she carried herself. Once again, Nikari found his mind wandering, though he figured it was partly because of the girls carefully neutral and empty expression. "Since when does a person not show emotion, even the slightest twitch or ghost of a smile?" Nikari thought, perturbed by her lack of emotion. Even her chakra flow did not betray any feeling, wonderment or expectations. However, there was something complicated about her chakra signature, though Nikari couldn't pin down what it was. Nikari decided to stop, tuning down his sensing ability for the moment and crossing his arms. "Now to wait for the sensei," he yawned. Curious, Yoko thought. Seeing as they've all arrived, might as well make my appearance, eh? She activated a Body Flicker, to speed up her jump. She leapt straight through the window, using a shield of lava to melt it. As the window sizzled, she appeared to the genin, literally smoking hot. She looked out at the two, and the wolf. What an odd but interesting group I was assigned... Better get this started. "Hey there. Congrats, you've been assigned to Team Yoko, under me, Yōkōtama Hōzuki. I'll be your jōnin protector-er-teacher. Now if that's clear, I'd like to know, a little about you three. Your names, and maybe a sentence about you is all I require." Gatou's first thought at the sudden appearance of their new sensei was, Why did she need to burn through an open window? followed quickly by a hint of recognition, after he had gotten a good look at the pink haired woman in front of the genin. He had seen her before in his various views from the sky above the mist. She showed up in the spas sometimes, but he never would have recognized her if it wasn't for the pink hair. Between that and the bust line, there was no mistaking her. She usually went to one of the less used cool ponds and heated it herself, which makes sense with the lava. Gatou's tail wagged a bit harder as his wolf eyes travelled up and down her form at this thought, and he was glad that they had gotten such a good looking sensei. With the arrival of their sensei, Nikari snapped to attention, activating his sensory abilities once more. Narrowing his eyes, Nikari focused, detecting a hint of smokiness and warmth from her chakra signature. From what he could pin down, her chakra was exceptionally powerful, particularly from such a short distance away. However, Nikari was prevented from delving further by detecting a change in the chakra from the wolf. As soon as he recognized the change, Nikari delivered a stink-eye towards the wolf. From what he could tell, the excitement portrayed from the wagging tail and change in chakra immediately after the appearance of the sensei was not a coincidence. "Seriously, can you get a hold of yourself wolf?" Nikari thought, not caring to think of his sensei as an attractive woman so much as fellow hozuki there to teach him the tricks of the trade he chose. "I am Rokun Yura, I've never been a big fan of sunsets, I hate beaches, and I guess you could say I like sharp things." Rokun spoke softly, looking to her mentor, rather disdainful and monotone in her voice, offering nothing much in facial expression besides the void in her eyes. "So, we have a pervert wolf, a Hozuki, and you." She said, looking at Rokun. "Blade girl. And I guess, you're that transformation dude, I've heard about. You can stop looking at my bust now, and transform back. Since it seems only the girl would answer my question, seems like I have to rely on the notes given to me. If I'm correct, the wolf is some wild boy named Gatou, and for you," she said, pointing at Nikari. "You are a member of my clan, named Nikari. Am I right?" Speaking in his wolf form, Gatou tried a bit of flattery. "Sorry, just never seen a set that huge before..." he said with a bit of a whimper. At this, he transformed back into his human form, that of a teenager with a heavier tan than was normal for one of the mist, and leaned back onto the railing behind him. He then said a bit sheepishly, almost as if he was embarrassed to talk after Yoko had called him out, "I am Gatou Akadou, sorry about the staring... I'm not around people much..." Recognizing the direct tone that his sensei was using, Nikari finally decided to answer her question. "Yes, I'm a member of the Hozuki clan and my name is Nikari," he responded, simply restating what she had said. "As for my goals, I aim to be a hunter-nin of the mist, and help secure and strengthen my village," he continued. "from what I've heard from other Hozuki, you're pretty famous, particularly for combining your lava release and the Hozuki hydrification technique, yet I've never seen you around that much in the clan compound," Nikari pondered out loud. "Why is that? I always hoped that you give me a few pointers on what the shinobi life would be like before heading off to the academy," Nikari paused before going back to leaning against the wall. Rokun crossed her arms, brow raised as she came over to the hound-turned-boy, her focus on him. Eyeing him up and down for a moment, "Interesting..." her voice containing a bit of ire, typical teen in terms of hormones and chemical balance, but luckily he looked like he had a few tricks up his sleeve as a shinobi. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." nodding to each in respect, and giving a slight bow to her Hozuki mentor, wondering what type of mission they might be placed on. Hopefully one with a bit of action, she needed to release this tension she had been building up, a desire for the rush battle gave her. Man, Yokotama thought. My clansmen have no idea what he's getting himself into... being a full-fledged Kiri ninja is no joke.. Who did they have to kill, to be here today? "Can't help if I've got assets can I now?" she shrugged, ignoring the invasion of privacy at the moment to invest in what she thought important. "And Nikari, being such a high-ranking Hōzuki, I barely have time to go home most of the time sadly. I haven't seen it in years sadly. But anyway, I have a question to ask you, my team. Now that I know who you are... more or less... I want to address something. Why have you guys decided to be shinobi? Why did you decide to take the lives of others, to be here today? Before we move on, I basically want to know what motivates the people I will be working with." Rokun Yura quirked her heels so she rose up and down for a moment, thinking of an answer that she held true. "I believe that purpose can be found in a business of pleasure..." thinking of how the worlds rolled off, Rokun could not help but smile faintly, laced with the fine tint of something eerie, off. "I am motivated, because I believe I can push beyond the limitations that most Shinobi are placed behind; to obtain great power, and use it to shape my destiny." Nikari pondered that question for a second, stroking his chin, "Why? Because it is time for the old guard to retire. The world has too long been mired in mediocrity by the very people who are supposed to lead it..I think it is high time that some new people are brought to the table with their ideas. As for the old guard, if they are willing to adapt, well that's a problem they can take with them to the grave, because I don't have time for people who stick their heads in the sand." the end of his statement dropped the temperature of the room a few degrees. Unlike the others, it was obvious Gatou did not want to answer this question. On the surface, all he did was look towards the floor at this question, but the more observant could find that everything about him had changed. Gone was the carefree albeit nervous pose that he had maintained before. Gone was the slight smile that was upon his lips. His entire demeanor had turned from the happy one he had before to one that could pause the most stalwart of souls. His muscles tightened, and his fists closed. "You don't want to know... I have my reasons, and will leave it at that." he said in a far darker voice than before. So as expected, Blade girl's answer was weird. Seems quite the dark type. Why do I always end up with those? Oh, well, what can I do.. I have an aspiring Hōzuki, and the transformer with secrets. Hmm, I won't pester. Don't need my genin against me on the first day. But I shall find out eventually. Either he'll tell me, or he'll show me.. "It seems I have an interesting bunch this year don't I?" Yoko addressed her genin. "But anyway, just remember you are all part of Team Yokotama now. And don't you forget it. Now, I believe its time, we got onto the mission..." Old Lives, New Stories It was a fine day for new beginnings. Four souls, strangers before, but strangers no longer. Their fates were irretrievably wound upon each other, each would face trials and tribulations over the years to come. But for now, the future was clean, and oh so bright...